


To Her, With Love

by Dandybear



Category: Glee
Genre: F/F, Guidance Counselors, Post-Canon, Reader-Insert, This is me addressing my grief
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-14
Updated: 2020-07-14
Packaged: 2021-03-05 04:35:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 617
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25268464
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dandybear/pseuds/Dandybear
Summary: Even in a performing arts school, it's still just Ohio. But, at least the Guidance Counselor is pretty cool.For Naya.
Relationships: Santana Lopez & Reader, Santana Lopez/Brittany S. Pierce
Comments: 7
Kudos: 71





	To Her, With Love

They say you need to talk about it.

You don't want to talk about it. 

Your eyes sting, both from the bruise, and from the tears threatening to escape the corners. 

The door you're parked outside opens, and the woman ushering a Cheerio out with a pamphlet gives you a quick up and down. 

"Come in," she says. 

You fold into yourself, tucking your hands beneath your arms, looking anywhere but her. There are pamphlets with titles like: 'Time to Unplug: Video Game Addictions and You!' _ ,  _ 'Fromunda Cheese: How to Wash Your Private Parts', and  'No, You Can't Do Blackface For Halloween'.  On her desk sits a homemade mug with a cute pair of otters holding hands on the side. There's family photos, the counselor smiling next to a blonde woman, three beaming children clinging to them. Something inside you twists, and you do look up at her. She's taken her reading glasses off and giving you a look that's two parts x-ray, one part patience, and a whole lot of no nonsense. Well-earned laughter lines prick her cheeks as she flattens her mouth and reaches into her desk. 

"You want a toffee?"

You take one, but just fiddle with the wrapper. 

"Did you know that there are more astronauts from Ohio than any other state?" she asks. 

You didn't expect that, and it makes you look up. 

"It's like, this place is so terrible that people would rather go to space than ever come back here."

You laugh, and there's victory in her smile. 

"I get it, when I was your age I'd rather be anywhere else than here."

"What changed?" Bubbles up and out of you. 

She shrugs, "Little by little, things did get better. I can bring my wife lunch and no one bats an eyelash. My kids aren't even the only ones in their school with two moms. But, more than that, I found the right people to lean on when things got tough. It's hard, because it's not always your family."

You nod, feeling the tears heat up your face. 

"And, I don't know if your family are people you can lean on, but you can come to me if you just need a break from…."

"From Ohio?" you offer thickly. 

She smiles, laughs even, and nods, "Yeah. My office is always open for when you need to get out of Ohio. Don't tell anyone, but it's actually a sovereign state," she leans forward on her elbows to whisper, "You don't have to pay taxes in here."

"Mrs. Lopez-Pierce are you committing tax evasion by being here?" you ask with a laugh. 

She winks, "You can learn all sorts of lessons in this office. And, we try for anonymity, so you don't have to feel weird for coming here."

You nod, sniff, wipe your face. She gestures to the tissue box, but lets you take that step. 

"I should get back to class," you say. 

"I'll tell your teacher, and Schue, that we made great progress in here," she says. 

You get to your feet and take another moment to survey the office. It's comfortable and well-worn, lived in, like its occupant. Mrs. Lopez-Pierce, with her greying temples and her hard, but kind eyes. The way she underhand tosses you another taffy. 

"Take them, if I eat too many then my butt will get huge and my wife won't let me leave the house. For sexy reasons, not body shaming reasons," she clarifies. 

You stuff the taffy into your pocket, "Thanks, Mrs. Lopez-Pierce. Is it okay if I come by again? Maybe after class?"

Her smile is slow, but radiant, "Of course. I'll always be here. Just knock if you need me."

**Author's Note:**

> This is me coping with my grief about Naya. I never finished the series, so this is probably an AU where Santana grows up to be the guidance counselor after Emma Pillsbury. I think she'd be good at it. I don't usually write Reader + Character. 
> 
> ... I just.
> 
> I needed for, in some universe, for her to grow old, and still be around, taking care of people. Like she did best.
> 
> *Actually there are more Astronauts from New York, Pennsylvania, and California. But, that is something someone from Ohio would say.


End file.
